How Can I Convert Locale-Specific String Representations to Floats in Python?

Convert String with Dot and Comma to Float in Python

Using Localization Services

Python's locale module provides access to localization routines to handle conversions that consider locale-specific formatting conventions.

Using the Default Locale

By default, the locale module reflects the program's locale, which is typically set to the C locale or the user's preferred locale. However, using the default locale will not parse strings with commas as thousands separators or periods as decimal points.

Using a Locale from the Environment

To use the user's preferred locale settings, call setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, ''). This will update the program's locale using settings from the environment and allow locale.atof to parse strings with localized formatting conventions, such as commas in thousands separators.

Setting a Locale Explicitly

You can also specify a specific locale to use with setlocale(locale.LC_NUMERIC, 'en_IN.UTF-8'). This will enable parsing and formatting of numbers according to the Indian lakh/crore system, for example.

Caveats

Caveats

• Changing the locale affects the entire program globally, so do it at the beginning and avoid in thread-safe code.
• Extension modules should not call setlocale.
• Using locale is not recommended for experimental parsing or formatting of data from different locales, but it is useful when data is formatted according to a specific locale.

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